Prof. Rafael Borrajo

Oslo Metropolitan University - OsloMet (Norway)

Energetic Impact of Electrosprayed Nanodroplets on Inert Materials for Surface Engineering and Nanofabrication

The presentation will be performed by
Rafael Borrajo (OsloMet) and Enric Grustan Gutierrez (Core Group member)

Abstract:

Authors: Rafael Borrajo*, Enric Grustan Gutierrez**.
*Oslo Metropolitan University - OsloMet, Norway; **Cranfield University, United Kingdom**

Electrospray atomization is an incomparable method to produce charged particles with sizes spanning between the micro and nanoscale. When these particles are accelerated and used to bombard targets, they offer unparalleled opportunities for surface engineering of chemically inert, crystalline materials. Nanodroplet bombardment is credited with sputtering yields and rates comparable to, or higher than, reactive etching techniques and, thanks to the larger projectile size, significantly higher than other physical sputtering systems.

Additionally, nanodroplet bombardment can produce the amorphatisation of a thin layer of the target’s surface.

The main physical characteristics of the electrospray, such as droplet diameter, molecular mass of the spray, and kinetic energy, can readily be controlled, allowing the regulation of the sputtering and amorphisation efficiency, as well as the resulting topography of the processed target.

Nanodroplet bombardment can be used to imprint geometrical patterns into the targets' structure by different approaches, such as the coupling of electrostatic lenses to focus and scan the beam of charged particles throughout the target, or the sputtering of selected areasby masking the target’s surface with sputter-resistant materials.

Biography:

Rafael Borrajo is an associate professor in Mechanical Engineering. His

research is focused on materials innovation and characterisation and the

use of ion and nanoparticle beams to create/modify materials.


Prof. Borrajo completed an MSc (2012) and a PhD (2014) with a focus on

material science and space propulsion at the University of California in

Irvine. Later, he held previous positions at KTH in Stockholm, OHB

Sweden, and Cardiaccs (Oslo).